Whether you’re grilling burgers or buying takeout fried chicken, there’s still time to add patriotic pizazz to the Fourth of July table with some colorful dishes and treats.

The best foods of the season are the right colors, too: tomatoes, watermelon, strawberries, blueberries, cherries. If you need to make a grocery run, don’t worry — supermarkets are open.

Susie Brennan, an interior decorator who lives in Plano, invokes flag colors with her Fourth of July buffet. She says guests love her potato salad — a simple recipe made with small roasted red, white and blue potatoes that she buys at Costco.

Brennan also prepares a colorful watermelon salad with feta, purple basil (it looks navy blue) and kalamata olives. Cutting the watermelon with a star-shaped cookie cutter lends Fourth of July flair to the dish.

Brennan’s strawberries even get dressed up. She hulls them, fills them with a bit of Grand Marnier and whipped cream, and caps each with a single blueberry. For simple — and edible — table decor, she suggests layering red, white and blue gumballs in cylindrical vases and adding a single flag instead of flowers.

Lakewood resident Cindy Steiner grew up making peppermint ice cream on the Fourth of July. Now the empty nester is fired up for adult frozen treats instead: red, white and blue “poptails” — frozen riffs on drinks like the piña colada (made with blue curaçao), sangria with strawberries and the mojito. They’re easy to make, but start early in the day so they have time to freeze.

A layer cake topped with mounds of blueberries and raspberries is her choice for a red, white and blue dessert. We followed her lead in a no-cook direction: a pretty parfait made of packaged rice pudding mixed with coconut cream and layered with berries.

We found many more easy ways to weave flag colors into a last-minute Fourth of July celebration. Blueberries play an accent role, even in savory dishes. The fruit is a nice foil for pungent blue cheese in our Fourth of July Wedge Salad. Although we’re generally not fans of bland canned beets, they’re perfect to add red to tomato gazpacho.

Read on for our roundup of 20 colorful recipes. Whether you make just one or several, guests will be tickled by the nod to Old Glory.

Candy corner: an edible centerpiece for all ages (video above)

Fill clear glass vases, bowls and drinking glasses with red, white and blue candies and arrange on the buffet table, on its own small stand or table or as a dinner table centerpiece. Blue candies are harder to come by, but Hershey’s makes two that come individually wrapped in blue foil: Cookies and Cream Kisses and Simple Pleasures Milk Chocolate With Vanilla Crème. York Pieces Peppermint Flavored Dark Chocolate are blue and white and shaped like M&Ms. Look for things like Hot Tamales, Twizzlers, Red Hots, sour cherry candies, peppermints, gummies, jawbreakers, jelly beans, gumballs and other candies that come in multiple colors. Offer red, white and blue cupcake liners to hold candies that guests serve themselves. For small, unwrapped candies, offer a spoon for scooping.

Strawberry soldiers

Cut about 1/4 inch off the bottoms of strawberries to create a flat base that they can stand on. Toss the berries in Grand Marnier to coat. Reserve the Grand Marnier. Stand the berries hulled side up on a platter. Spoon about 1/4 teaspoon Grand Marnier into the cavity of each berry. Shake an aerosol can of whipped cream. Pipe whipped cream into each cavity, finishing above the rim of the strawberry. Top the cream with a blueberry. Serve immediately.

Note: For a glossy finish, before topping off with the blueberries, toss the blueberries in apple jelly or honey that has been warmed and thinned in the microwave for a few seconds.

SOURCE: Susie Brennan

Flag fruit platter

Use a large rectangular platter or baking sheet to hold fruit you arrange in a flag pattern. Cut a piece of paper the size of what will be the flag’s star section and place it in the upper left-hand corner of the platter. Cut 2 large jicama into finger-food-size rectangles. Cut a seedless watermelon into finger-food-size rectangles. Arrange the watermelon and jicama in alternating horizontal rows on the platter, coming to the edge of the rectangular cutout that designates the star section. You should start and end with a row of watermelon on the top and bottom. When all the stripes have been laid out, remove the paper cutout and fill that section with blueberries. Place a bowl of poppy seed dressing or lemon and lime wedges next to the platter for guests to drizzle or squeeze on their servings.

Blue colada pops

In a blender, combine 1 tablespoon blue curaçao, 1/2 cup crushed pineapple, 3 tablespoons coconut cream, 2 tablespoons sugar, 2 tablespoons rum and 2 or 3 blueberries (for desired shade of blue). Blend for 1 minute, until completely smooth. Divide mixture among 5 shot glasses. Cover each glass tightly with foil. Poke a hole in the center of each foil top and insert a wooden stick through the hole, halfway into the mixture. Freeze until firm, about 8 hours. To remove pops, run the shot glass surface under water, then gently twist as you pull the pop out by the stick. Makes 5 servings.

SOURCE: Adapted from Cindy Steiner

Strawberry-sangria pops

In a blender combine 2 cups of hulled strawberries with 1/2 cup plus 2 tablespoons bottled sangria (with no more than 81/2 percent alcohol content), 4 tablespoons sugar, 1 tablespoon lime juice and 1 tablespoon water. Blend until smooth. Pour into 8 shot glasses. Cover each glass tightly with foil. Poke a hole in the center of the foil tops and insert a wooden stick through the hole, halfway into the mixture. Freeze 6 to 8 hours, or until firm. To remove, run the shot glass surface under water, then gently twist the pop as you pull it out by the stick. Makes 8 servings.

SOURCE: Adapted from Cindy Steiner

Mojito pops

Place 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar in a small pitcher with 1/4 cup mint leaves. Muddle them together with a wooden spoon or a muddler. Add 1/2 cup lime juice and stir to dissolve sugar. Let sit for 5 minutes. Add 1 cup water and 1 tablespoon light rum and stir to combine. Strain mixture through a sieve, pressing on mint leaves with the back of a spoon to extract more mint flavor. Pour mixture into 6 shot glasses. Cover each glass tightly with foil and poke a hole in the center. Insert a wooden stick through each hole, halfway into the mixture. Freeze for 6 hours, or until solid. To remove, run the shot glass surface under water, then gently twist the pop as you pull it out by the stick. Makes 6 servings.

Sweet skewers

Thread halved strawberries, mini marshmallows (or angel food cake cubes) and blueberries alternately on bamboo skewers. For a limited time only, Super Target is selling packages of star-shaped marshmallows; look for them on an end-cap of sale merchandise.

Kid-friendly firecracker pops

In a food processor, purée 11/2 cups hulled strawberries with 1 tablespoon sugar. Transfer to a small bowl. In processor, purée 11/2 cups blueberries with 1 tablespoon sugar. In another small bowl, whisk together 11/4 cups plain low-fat yogurt and 2 tablespoons sugar, or to taste. Pour the 3 mixtures, alternating, into 10 (3-ounce) ice-pop molds, making 3 to 5 layers in each. With a skewer or thin-bladed knife, swirl mixtures together in an up-and-down motion. Insert ice-pop sticks and freeze until solid, 21/2 to 3 hours. Makes 10 servings.

SOURCE: Adapted from marthastewart.com

Red, White and Blue Potato Salad

2 tablespoons olive oil

2 cups small red potatoes, quartered

1 cup white fingerling potatoes, halved lengthwise

1 cup small blue potatoes, halved lengthwise

1/2 cup red onion, chopped

2 teaspoons minced garlic

1 teaspoon coarse salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper

8 to 10 crisply cooked bacon slices, crumbled

1 bunch of green onions, chopped

3/4 cup shredded white cheddar cheese

3/4 cup bottled ranch-style dressing

Salt and pepper to taste

Preheat oven to 425 F. Place oil in a 15x10-inch jellyroll pan; add potatoes, onion, garlic, salt and pepper. Toss to coat. Arrange potatoes in a single layer. Bake for 30 to 35 minutes, or until potatoes are tender, stirring once. Transfer to a large bowl.

Using a small star-shaped cookie cutter, cut the watermelon into small stars (or 1-inch cubes). Arrange watermelon on a platter. Sprinkle with the olives, feta and basil, then drizzle with lemon juice and olive oil. Season with salt and pepper and serve immediately.

Makes 6 servings.

Variation: Increase the cheese to 7 ounces, and replace olives with blueberries. Scatter blueberries over the salad, or arrange blueberries around the rim of the platter.

Firecracker Gazpacho

3 to 4 small canned beets (freeze the rest of the can for another use)

2 cloves garlic

2 tablespoons diced celery

2 tablespoons diced red onion

2 1/2 teaspoons paprika

1 tablespoon red wine vinegar

2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice, or to taste

1 teaspoon sea salt, or to taste

3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil

Yogurt Cream for garnish (recipe follows)

Blueberries for garnish (optional)

In a blender, combine tomatoes, bell pepper, 3 of the beets, garlic, celery, onion, paprika, vinegar, lemon juice, salt and olive oil. Puree until thoroughly blended. If you want a deeper color, add the fourth beet and puree to combine. Taste and adjust seasonings, adding additional lemon or vinegar if you want a tangier flavor.

Chill the soup (or puree a few ice cubes into it). Pour into clear glass bowls (colored bowls may make the gazpacho appear orange). Decorate the surface of each serving with a drizzle or dots of Yogurt Cream. Garnish with 1 to 3 blueberries, if desired. Makes 6 servings.

Wedge salad

Domestic, crumbled blue cheese is the key to this salad — the packaged crumbles are bluer than freshly crumbled blue cheese because there are more surfaces exposed to the air. You’ll need about 2/3 cup for this salad.

Cut a head of iceberg lettuce into sixths, keeping the core intact. Make a dressing of 1/2 cup mayonnaise, 1/2 cup sour cream and 1/2 cup blue cheese crumbles. Season to taste with lemon juice and white pepper. Arrange each wedge sideways on a white plate. Cover the exposed side with dressing. Sprinkle each wedge with a slice of crumbled bacon. Surround each wedge with a few cherry tomato halves and a tablespoon of blueberries. Sprinkle with more blue cheese crumbles. If desired, plant a flag toothpick on each wedge. Makes 6 servings.

Immediately pour over popped popcorn, dividing mixture evenly between the 2 bowls. Quickly stir until glaze and sugars are evenly distributed. Quickly add 1/2 to 1 tablespoon more of colored sugar as soon as mixture is incorporated but before it has dried.

Patriotic parfait

Mix 22 to 24 ounces of packaged rice pudding or vanilla pudding from the supermarket with 4 tablespoons cream of coconut. Layer mixture in a glass or small bowl alternately with fresh raspberries and blueberries. Makes 6 servings.

Blue corn nachos with goat cheese and red bell pepper

Arrange blue corn tortillas on a baking sheet. Put 1 heaping teaspoon of goat cheese on each blue corn tortilla. Bake at 350 F until cheese starts to melt, about 5 minutes. Top with sliced roasted red peppers (bottled is fine). Also good topped with pico de gallo. Serve immediately.

Dessert or breakfast bruschetta

Cut slices of country bread in half. Spread lightly with butter and toast in the oven until crisp and golden. Spread each bread piece with ricotta sweetened with honey (or use already sweet mascarpone) and top with raspberries and blueberries.

Star-studded sangria or punch

Use a small star-shaped cookie cutter to cut out 3/4-inch thick stars from honeydew melon, or any other melon. Float them in glasses or pitchers of chilled bottled sangria or any other punch. To help keep the punch cold, freeze the stars before floating them.

Patriotic ice cream

Fold blue York Pieces into softened vanilla ice cream. Freeze until firm. Scoop into ice cream cones and top each with a red M&M or a piece of peppermint.

About blue food

With the exception of blueberries, there is no naturally true-blue food; that’s why some people are turned off by food that’s dyed to an intense blue hue. Hardly anyone minds a little blue sugar, sprinkles or icing as a festive accent, but when a cake layer is tinted ocean blue, some guests may cringe.

For a natural way to honor our flag’s color, use blue plates to serve red and white colored foods. A few good choices: sliced tomatoes with mozzarella; strawberries and cream ice cream topped with whipped cream and blueberries or a star sugar cookie (ours was from Target); or fresh cherries with a dip made of 2 parts sour cream and 1 part lemon curd.